adding new calorie labels ininvery single can, bottle, and pack they produce... so you can make the choice that's right for you. tonight on "world news," hurtling higher. gas prices climbing by the day. we seek answers to what is ahead and what can be done. bouncing back. nearly 200,000 new jobs. so, who is hiring big time tonight? and, what about the all of work americans you met here? have they landed a job? what happened? a high school sports star makes the winning play, then collapses and dies. we learned what happened to his heart. and, made in america. your great ideas for keeping

jobs here at home. tonight, the american worker is our "person of the week." good evening. they were out there today at just about every gasoline station in america, 114,000 stations across the country. the workers picking down one set of prices and slapping up new, higher ones. prices all americans have seen climb almost every single day. since the start of the year, take a look at this. the average price of a gallon has jumped 10%. from $3.07 to $3.38. so, we sought an answer. how much higher can this go? matt gutman is in hollywood, florida. $3.53 next to you, matt. >> reporter: that's right, diane. and oil prices today closed at their highest level since any time since september 2008, just a little over $104 a barrel. and the experts we spoke to said

even they were surprised by how quickly these gas prices followed. and they said the soaring prices are not likely to slow down any time soon. not since hurricane katrina shut down one-third of the nation's refineries has the price of gas shot up this high this fast. almost 20 cents in the last week alone. the spike especially painful for folks like this contractor. it now costs him $200 a month more to fuel his pickup than just this past january. and you can't very well drive a hybrid or something? >> no, i can't drive one of those. >> reporter: and an even more painful milestone may be around the corner. >> there's a lot of talk about $4 a gallon, maybe by the time we get to memorial day. >> reporter: last time that happens, june 2008, it contributed to the worst economic nose dive in decades. >> we'll have to make changes, cuts, and, you know, we got to

budget just like anybody else. >> reporter: but each one cent increase in gas prices equals a loss of $1.2 billion in consumer spending over a year. that means the increase in gas prices over the last month cost the economy $41 billion. fears that this will bring a recovery to a stand still have senators lobbying the president to flood the market with some of the u.s. strategic petroleum reserve, with 727 million barrels of oil, it's the largest on the planet. >> i do believe that the announcement of a strategic petroleum reserve sale would help to moderate escalating prices. >> reporter: but experts differ on how much of a real impact that oil would have on gas prices. >> a lot of what's happening is fear. what could go wrong? but maybe it reduces a little bit of that fear. >> reporter: the president's response? not yet. and diane, unless things in the middle east worsen, analysts tell us that these gas price

hikes will probably take a bite out of the economic recovery but probably won't cripple it. diane? >> okay, matt. something else is heading higher today, as well, welcome news. jobs. a strong 192,000 new jobs added last month. unemployment dropping to 8.9 percent. david muir is checking in. >> reporter: for millions of americans this has been a very long road back to finding a job. and all of us have been watching that one number, the average time to find a job. 37 weeks now. but tonight, these new numbers show that wait time might finally be shrinking. behind each statistic, each number, is a person on a journey back to work. it was a year ago, we melt barry scott, out of work 25 months. he applied for 475 jobs. at the time, he was exasperated.

>> i'm talking to a company in australia. i may have to do something as crazy as that to find a way to get a a job. >> reporter: today, we reached him on his cell phone, on a bus from a sales convention for his number job. and listen to niece numbers. how many interviews did you go on? >> i had about 95 first interviews and about 25 to 30 second, third interviews. >> reporter: he was determined. and today, this new, lower unemployment rate was not only welcomed by him, but a sign that jobless winder is starting to thaw. >> today's number was a clear sign that the recession is over. >> reporter: so, who is hiring? today, we learned american manufacturers for one. factories todaying 33,000 jobs over the past month. construction firms higher 33,000 americans, too. and another encouraging sign, american families eating out more. 21,000 new jobs because of it. >> all of which suggests that there's good momentum behind the economy going forward. >> reporter: fred is hoping that momentum carries him. the 52-year-old lost his job and

has been looking for two years now, applying for more than 200 jobs. he told us then -- >> it effects one's pride, you know. i think it effects a lot of people in so many different ways. >> reporter: today, he told us, his unemployment benefits are nearing their end, health insurance already running out. offering a reminder about the people like him, still looking. >> it's not because people don't want to work. it not because people are not trying. it's just matching skill sets and exact skill sets to the jobs that exist. >> reporter: that's right. and diane, wasn't long ago we feared 10% unemployment. but although great sign today? temporary hiring is up and they always say that's a leading indicator for better numbers tonight. >> david muir, thank you. and we'll see you again in a moment about "made in america." but overseas now, to libya, where gadhafi formss launched furious attacks on opponents. it's almost three weeks now into the crisis there, and abc's miguel marquez is in tripoli

again tonight. >> reporter: today, gadhafi's military unleashed with full force. chaos. protesters take cover as government forces open fire with live ammunition. reports of dozens dead. just east of tripoli, this was the scene. government forces firing tear gas and rubber bullets on a small group of protesters brave enough to speak out. they fought back with rocks. tonight, the capital remains under tight control of gadhafi. the rebels hold eastern libya, including the all-important oil fields. a reality gadhafi's government doesn't acknowledge. to prove their point, they took us to an oil refinery near the town attacked today. to get there, it was all back roads, steering clear of andy gadhafi areas. once out of the area, signs of

gadhafi's support seemed to come out of nowhere. we're on the way back to tripoli and we've just come across a rally right in the middle of the road. they is the stopped the bus we're on. it's a pro-gadhafi rally. clearly they want to signal that the government is very much in control here. finally, on our return to tripoli, well after midnight, we saw clear signs this government is nervous and taking no chances. tanks on every corner, along every street and at every intersection. the government here pulling out all stops to protect the capital. now willing to use any force necessary to end the rebellion. and the fighting here could go on for weeks, if not months. gadhafi does have a large and loyal base of support. unless something happens to change the balance here in tripoli, colonel gadhafi could still come out on top. diane? >> miguel marquez reporting in

tonight. and, we move on now to something on a different front. we want to tell you about a very strange food fight under way between democrats and republicans in washington. it's a duel in the capitol hill cafeteria. jon karl explains. >> reporter: when nancy pelosi became speaker this was her pet project. she replayed the greasy french fries, bringing in locally grown organic food and lots of recycling. she made everything about this cafeteria more environmentally friendly. no more plastic, these forks and knives are made out of a corn-based material now. the problem is it doesn't always work so well. you see the soons, well, they tend to melt after awhile when they've been in your soup. now republicans say enough is enough. they've had it with the flimsy eutensil utensils, the recycling bins and the 475,000 buck as year it costs to truck it all out to a

come posting facility in virginia. >> it didn't work. it takes more energy, it cost taxpayers more money. it doesn't work. and who wants forks that dissolve? >> reporter: earl bloomenhower is fighting back. >> we will not go quietly into the night. ultimately this is what america will do. this is progressive employers are doing. if congress wants to set an example by taking a step backward, so be it. >> reporter: it's not just the cafeteria. pelosi set out to make the capitol a beacon of environmentalism, making plans to install solar panels. republicans are cutting all of it. starting this week, all that biodegradable stuff has been thrown out, replaced by styrofoam and plastic. no longer will the spoon dissolve in your soup, it's probably going to last in a land fill for thousands of years.

diane? >> okay, jon. that was one sad spoon earlier. and still ahead on "world news," a basketball star, a last-minute winning shot, and then the crowd watches in horror as the star athlete dies. it's a medical detective story. ideas that can change your life. it's the ted conference. and, the men and women ready to power up what is made in america. they are our "person of the week." hi, we're looking to save some money on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! same coverage, more savings.

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winning basket in overtime. but as fans rushed the court to celebrate, their joy turned to despair. wes collapsed on the gym floor. his friends and fans stood by in disbelief. leonard later died at the hospital. doctors said it was sudden cardiac arrest, due to an enlarged heart. in an enlarged heart the electrical signal can short circuit. the condition often goes undetected. while leonard suffered from a rare disorder, it's estimated as many as 1 in 350 kids may have dangerous underlying heart conditions. doctors say athletes are the most vulnerable to sudden cardiac arrest, due to heavy stress on their bodies. >> it is about once every three days in the u.s. that a high school or college-age athlete made die on the playing field from a heart condition. >> reporter: experts say the solution is to screen children as early as middle school, giving them ekgs.

and equipping school gyms with defibrillators. we wes' coaches and teammates struggle to make sense of this loss. >> i can't put into words because it's -- it's just tearing me up. because he was just a special kid with a passion that you just don't get to see all the time. >> just having him around -- he was always a happy person, like, he was never sad. never mad, just happy, happy, hap happy, happy. >> reporter: a young man whose dreams cut short. abbie boudreau, abc news. and coming up here, do you know about the ted conference? ideas that can change your life. let fidelity help you find the answers.

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ye years, until now. >> reporter: this is where, 26 years ago, apple first unveiled this little gadget for the home. recognize it? this is where sony explained they had this thing, a shiny disc that might replace the record. it's where al gore went to sound his alarm about the warming earth. and where chef jamie oliver shocked everyone with sugar. >> in the next 18 minutes, four americans that are alive will be dead through the food that they eat. >> reporter: and that sugar? turns out that's how much one child will take in after five years of drinking the chocolate milk they give out in school. just this week, the room gasped at the sight of something that could revolutionize medicine. organs created as cop pips. in just seven hours, wake forest scientists created a functioning human kidney. a machine separates out the cells that specialize into kidneys and the cells are grown

in a lab. and then, they are layered one on top of the other, they call it printing, until they're sculpted into a kidney. >> here it is. you can actually see the kidney as was printed earlier today. >> reporter: five years ago, ted started taking some of these great lectures and putting them online for free. by the way, no speaker is ever allowed to go more than 18 minutes. >> long enough to say something serious but short enough not to lose your audience. >> by forcing that speaker to boil it down, to capture the essence, it's inspirational. it's educational. >> reporter: which is why "world news" decided to celebrate wonder by teaming up with ted, and making sure, in the weeks to come, you see the most amazing things right over the horizon. and if you want to join in these 18-minute conversations that can change your life, you can do it free, logon now to

abcnews.com/worldnews to see the first of the ted talks, unveiled just this week. and stay with us throughout this coming year for more of the stories that will inspire and amaze. and, coming up, the workers who make america thrive. our "persons of the week." hi, dad. we need to talk. [ male announcer ] this intervention brought to you by niaspan. no, it's not about boys. it's about you. mom and i are worried about your health. yes, you're exercising, eating right, but the doctor said it's not enough. he's concerned about the plaque clogging your arteries. the doctor said you have coronary artery disease. he even told you about adding a cholesterol medicine that may help...niaspan. and you've done what? nothing. [ male announcer ] if you have high cholesterol and coronary artery disease, and diet and exercise are not enough, niaspan, along with diet and a bile acid-binding resin, is fda-approved not only to slow down plaque buildup

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and finally tonight, our "persons of the week." as you know, "world news" is going to keep tackling this question of creating more jobs in america and looking closely at what we buy that is made in america. well, tonight, as a salute to all the men and women who are determined to make america still the country to beat. >> reporter: what stunned the usrys this week -- >> table's made in india. >> bangladesh. >> reporter: china. >> reporter: was a wakeup call for thousands of you who wrote in -- >> made in china. >> reporter: and sent in your own moments from all over the country. in philadelphia, the phillies fan and his hat, made in china. >> we take our cowboy boots very seriously. even they were made abroad. >> reporter: viewers telling channel 8 in dallas they were turning things upside down for the first time. channel 6 in philadelphia.

>> i'm going to really check the labels from now on. >> reporter: viewers reaching out to channel 7 in san francisco. so many viewers responding to the usry home and that american makeover. finding american replacements for the bedroom. relatively easy. the living room, a little harder. but we found what we needed. >> reporter: but the kitchen? belly up. the only 100% made in america alliances came with a whopping price tag. i'm trying to find out. and the coach fee maker. we couldn't find one, but last night, a viewer e-mailed us, telling us we missed one. the bunn-o-matic. it was assembled here. but all the parts from overseas. but it wasn't the only thing we struck out on. we couldn't find a single lightbulb made in america. we couldn't find a single tv. so, where that was, there's now a picture of a texas long horn. but are these areas where america should even compete? >> we shouldn't try to compete for every product.

we don't need to be the tv maker for the rest of the world. >> reporter: nearly a dozen economists told us that we're part of a global economy now, we have to be to survive. but they amended this. that buying at least something made in america will create jobs here. they say one does not hurt the other. >> i don't even think we're close to a tipping point. all this being equal, if we bought more american, that would create more jobs here. >> reporter: economists told us, think about products that are considered multipliers. that require multiple american workers from start to finish. the most obvious, a car. but it could also mean the usrys end table. from the lumberjack standing at that tree to the assembly line worker to the woman polishing the table. >> reporter: so many of you told us that you're now thinking of those workers who proudly sent us that message. made in america. who furnished that home on snow white drive. >> made in america! >> our thanks to the usrys, the

team is here. >> reporter: i wanted to show you the map, diane. these are the companies that we reached out to for the effort. and look at the next set of stars. these are all the companies that reached out to us, saying they are up to the challenge. they say they can compete with china and everyone else, but for the few dollars that americans have to spend. >> reporter: we wanted this to be a wakeup call for people. to look at their items. i did it myself. i went through my son's toy box to find out if there anything made in america. not a sijle toy left in that chest. this morning, he was just left to bang on pots and pans. >> well, on that front, next week, we're going to go out on the street and say to people, take off everything that wasn't made in america. do you know what was made in america? within the bounds of decency. and ask some provocative questions about which part of the garment business do we want to return to and power up again. but as you know, we startled this, this whole thing, with jon

karl on capitol hill, going to souvenir shops where he found even the flag pin was made abroad? >> reporter: absolutely. and i caught one the senator that first started complaining about these made in china souvenirs. and he asked the smithsonian to buy made in america. we want back and talked to him. here's what he said. they told me this is too expensive to get -- >> we're looking into it. i don't believe it. and the answer is -- >> reporter: you're going to demand it? >> we're talking to manufacturers right now, yes. >> reporter: senator sanders is meeting with the head of the smithsonian on tuesday. diane, i'll let you know what happens. >> cannot wait. thank you, jon. and as we said, we're just getting started. so, keep your letters coming to us. and thank you for watching tonight. don't forget to watch "20/20" later this evening. and we are always on at abcnews.com and david will be here this weekend, right at the anchor desk. we'll see you. good night.

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